I was there at Mile High Stadium [Invesco Field] in Denver with an estimated other 84,000 in attendance for Obama’s Acceptance Speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. My wife and I were more than merely spectators to this anticipated historical-political event we were participates along with most others. We were a pair of an estimated 5000 volunteers making over a dozen phone calls at a phone bank simply calling people to watch the event that is at least 65,000 calls!  We were interviewed not once, not twice but three times by various members of the press attempting to figure out why----why such a turnout, why so much enthusiasm, why so much unprecedented support and following---who were we? We sang along with extraordinary musical accompaniments led by Cheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and Michael McDonald. We Pledged Allegiance to the flag from Olympian Gold Medallist Shawn Johnson and sang along with Jennifer Hudson, the former American Idol competitor who has made it big in the movies.

 

We participated by waving flags and signs for “Change” provided by the unbelievably well mannered and well-organized teams of campaign-event volunteers. We cheered and acknowledged the six ordinary citizens who bore witness of their personal stories of how the current political state of affairs has practically destroyed their lives. But most of all we cheered, clapped, whistled, screamed and stomped our feet like a movement confirming and extolling Obama and his team to actually change this land of unfairness and corruption. I was there; sitting in the upper deck, with throngs of fellow Coloradoans, many Independents and Republicans, not from the liberal bastion of Boulder but from the affluent suburbs of Douglas and Arapahoe Counties, from once super conservative Ft. Collins and my home town of Colorado Springs.

 

I was there and it was not a rock concert. It was not worshiping at a Greek Temple or simply being a spectator, it was convention of a movement that has grown from the bottom up collecting all sorts and it was more than merely a TV backdrop for a sound bite. Too bad more couldn’t have made it.

I personally know a few PUMA's. I have had a number of personal conversations in person and through email, even was on a distribution list (by their mistake) and lurked over their shoulders where I witnessed their vile and highly charged rhetoric. Last night Hillary put them in the corner and at least one very virulent one flinched and told a local news reporter that she was coming over.

"I'm still a little on the fence ... but if she's big enough to do that, maybe I can, too," [Brenda] Krause said. Her comments go on: "The other delegates "know that I'm a lost cause," Krause said. "I know they're mad at me, but I'm not a politician."

I know the personal attacks she and many of her compatriots level upon me when they found out a big Obama volunteer organizer was listening into their "principled epitaphs".

The report goes on to say:

Rep. Diana DeGette [D-CO] hammered on Krause at a champagne brunch at the governor's mansion to fall in line for the sake of unity and appointing Supreme Court justices favorable to the Democratic point of view.

Krause admits she's torn by internal conflict. She's still not over the Hill. Like most of her compatriots in the movement of Clinton supporters who never say die, she feels the media was sexist in coverage of Clinton, that she was cheated out of victory by the Obama campaign, and that she is the rightful nominee.

And yet, Krause is a believer in the Democratic platform.

"My mission is not to go against the Democratic Party. I believe in the Democratic Party," Krause said. "It's kind of like you're fighting with your own turf and that's uncomfortable."

My saying to them is "how sharp a surgical knife do you what to cut off your nose and by the way I better take away all your mirrors when you are done for you will not like to look your own face in the mirror."  Naturally they don't like the metaphor but it is appropos----literally.

It has taken me sometime to see this clearly, Clinton's view is being expressed by Carville and Bagela to attack, attack, attack. Of course,  that is what the political scene was in the '90's and defined by Nixon going back into the late '40's. But Obama has seen and been successful moving to the middle and not being the initiator of attack only politics, he and his staff know that is the death nill to the new coalition. Counter attack and dispelling the attack and using their attack's energy is the measure.

It is like playing the game of basketball, you must play your game. That said I am also one of the vast volunteer network and we are getting amazing returns on reaching independent voters which is the winners ground.

If McCain said it once he said it a thousand times and was willing to repeat that he is blessed for having so many homes.  Blessed is a code word for the evangelicals and those that Lakoff has identified as having the Strict Father worldview where individuals are either "blessed" with good life or not.

McCain of course refused to answer the simple competency question because it was a competency question, why couldn't couldn't he answer how many homes he owns. My father, a old time Republican who has now stated he does not recognize his party, a former attorney who handled many a rich man's estates has never know a person who doesn't know how many homes he/she owns. The cock-oh-may-me idea that some were investment properties is BS....the answer is homes not houses....he didn't remember which is why he at 80 write down what prescription he is picking up at the pharmacy....

Vote for me because I am blessed is code for if you vote for me you too will be blessed.